The offer was made to prevent a new school from being built on the old high school site. The city would like to see a new city hall, commercial space and high-density housing there instead, as recommended by Lakota Group, the Chicago-based consultants drawing the city?s master plan for land use.

Isn't "high density housing" a better description of what is planned? There is no guarantee "families" will occupy the buildings in question. Doesn't "high density housing" speak more clearly to the Section 8 possibility of the proposed construction?

The city's business community got an update Thursday from a regional transportation official on the status of area road expansions. In the process, they also tried to reconcile the projects with the city's projected growth and new master plan.

Ken Dallmeyer, director of transportation planning for the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission, told the Greater Crown Point Chamber of Commerce that the organization's long-range expansion plans include widening U.S. 30 to three lanes in each direction, constructing an Interstate 65 interchange at 109th Avenue and building an Illiana Expressway.

Illiana Expressway? Does any one know what they are refering to? Will that be an expressway tying I65 to I394?

In the next two years, work will begin on making a portion of Broadway four lanes and ideally, some day, the group will work on extending 109th Avenue, or North Street in Crown Point, west to U.S. 231, Dallmeyer said.

Man that is so over due, while they are at it, Mississippi Street should be extended southward from 101st to US231, or at least to 113th.

It's a good sign that U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Ind., got a request into the federal transportation bill for $10 million to build the 109th Avenue interchange, he said. But it probably will take 10 years for it to be built.

Ten years to be built? WTF? IMAO it is already been ten years over due.

Dallmeyer also said NIRPC isn't expecting the same growth rate in Crown Point that has been talked about during creation of the new master plan.

There's an understatement!

The group is forecasting 4 percent growth for the region in the next 30 years. During a master plan work session held earlier this year by the consulting firm Lakota Group, principal John LaMotte said potential annexation could bring an additional 21,000 people into the city by 2020. On top of planned and proposed subdivisions, LaMotte estimated that could bring the city's population to 52,000.

If growth does take off, the city should look at more ways of self-funding infrastructure, such as through impact fees, Dallmeyer said.

The difference is between single family homes or Lakota's proposed high-density housing.

Mayor Dan Klein said that's something he and city officials will look at with completion of the master plan. Klein said he knows growth is coming, and that's why he wants to redirect U.S. 231 downtown through where the current Bank One building stands to address traffic congestion that may not be a problem today but likely will be in 10 years.

I gess he still isn't taking Metros' advice about fold his cards and going home.

"We're stepping up and doing it now to be prepared for the future," he said. Klein said he already has planned to have NIRPC officials meet with the Lakota Group.

Crown Point schools Superintendent H. Steve Sprunger said he thought the city might be gobbling up land too quickly for transportation planning to keep up.

I thought Sprunger was stepping down.

"Pretty soon there won't be a place you can put a road because it will be developed," he said. "We're building houses at such a rapid rate in south Lake County."

Redevelopment Commission President Ted Rosdil said that's why the city needs to focus on growth that will produce income, such as high-density housing in urban settings that would attract retirees.

What's the pedigree on this Rosdil? Is he even form Lake County?

Is warehousing retirees, really attracting growth that will produce income. By the very definition aren't retirees no longer producing income? Doesn't attracting families who are in their peek earning years, with children who need everything, seem like a much better income producer?

I don't think high density housing is necessarly a bad thing. I would rather see a group of high density housing surrounded by a landscaped park instead of just suburban sprawl. I think a mix of different housing styles is a good thing. I do think that it is important that the quality of housing is maintained. It is also important that land is reserved for parks and other public uses.

My wife and I live (with my parents, unfortunately) in Crown Point, with our 3 year-old child. I was born here. We both work here too. But we do not make enough money to afford any of these "mansions" and condos that they are building - frankly, I don't know who can, they must be coming from Illinois or have GOOD jobs that don't have wage-freezes for 3 years straight and counting. I might be glad to see some low, more affordable housing because it would mean that to afford a home of our own, my wife and I might not be forced to move to some "ghetto" area instead. My only hope would be that it would be smaller, cheaper, single-family homes as opposed to some huge apartment "kennel" style housing or duplexes. Like myself, unfortunately, Crown Point has a whole lot more of the "working poor" and I personally don't think I/we should be forced to leave because there are no cheaper homes. Crown Point is not/should not be a town for ONLY the well-to-do and upper middle class.